


In which many loose ends are gathered together

by cher



Category: Diana Wynne Jones - Castle series aka Howl series
Genre: F/M, Post-Canon, Yuletide, challenge:Yuletide 2004, recipient:Kaneko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-21
Updated: 2010-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-13 22:27:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/142394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cher/pseuds/cher





	In which many loose ends are gathered together

The days following the death of Miss Angorian and the Witch of the Waste were some of the busiest of Sophie's life. She was swept suddenly into the midst of a whirlwind of activity, and it seemed she hadn't a moment's peace to consider the rather personal implications of all that had happened on Midsummer's Day.

There was Michael and Martha to see about, and all the confusion to straighten out now that there was no reason for Michael to go on thinking he was to marry a Lettie as well. All in all, he seemed to take the whole thing rather well. "After all," he said, "names don't matter very much in the end, do they? Just look at Howl!"

Sophie couldn't seem to prevent herself from looking at Howl in any case, so she took the excuse Michael provided her with quite shamelessly. "I really do prefer your hair black," she said to him in midst of all the bustle and hurry. "It suits you much better."

Howl gave her a long look. "You'd have a great deal of trouble turning my hair pink then, wouldn't you, Mrs. Mad Scientist? Is it that you want to try for green next time?" But when he came out of the bathroom the following morning, his hair was black again.

"It's much more in keeping with my status now, before you say a thing, Sophie," he said quelling to her. Calcifer snorted, a sharp crackling sound, and Sophie found that just then, she'd prefer to smile than argue with Howl. The black really did suit him.

What with the King's charge fulfilled in rescuing Prince Justin and Wizard Suliman from the Witch, the gratitude of all three, and Wizard Suliman's time now being divided between his royal duties and instructing Lettie, it seemed that there was a position available in the King's service. Howl had negotiated with the King in his most courtly and devious manner, and it seemed, come out rather well. He was to continue receiving work like the transportation spell as he'd done before, and receive a monthly stipend besides, in return for agreeing to remain accessible in Kingsbury. It meant that he and Michael had had to devise a way to get the castle door to open on a fifth location instead of the usual four, but it also meant that Lettie was never far away, and the stipend, when added to the daily takings of the flower shop, made quite a handsome income. It was a great relief to Sophie and Michael, and they stopped having to be quite so careful about hiding coins under the hearthstone.

Lettie seemed slowly to be getting over her shyness with Prince Justin, and Sophie could see that the arrangement might turn out rather well for both of them in the end. She had a certain amount of experience in that area, after all. How odd it would be to have a sister who was a princess, she thought! It was only fitting in the end, but it might take some getting used to.

When it came to the castle and its various frontages, Sophie and Fanny agreed that as the mansion was so large, and the castle rooms were really all the space that Sophie and Howl needed, they would share the mansion for the time being. Sophie found that she liked having Fanny nearby again, although she did her best to keep both Fanny and Mrs. Fairfax away from Howl whenever she could. He'd not yet forgiven them for the assault on the squalor of his bedroom of which he seemed so fond, and Sophie had not forgotten the alarming image of Fanny waking Howl up with the sharp point of her parasol. All in all, Sophie felt, some things were best left alone. Although, she did wonder how it was that a man as vain as Howl could possibly enjoy sleeping in the mess of cobwebs and dust that he did. Perhaps that was the real reason he'd chosen to wear his hair blond rather than black; it showed the dust less. In any case, Sophie was quite certain that the state of Howl's room was going to be the first in the probably rather long list of things to be ironed out in their Ever After, before anyone could say anything about Happiness.

She would never admit it in a million years, but Sophie would, if necessary, endure dust, spiders and perhaps even green slime for the sake of the dazzling smiles Howl now fired at her several times a day, usually as he posed artfully in a doorway or on his knees for her. He was quite impossible, and the smiles were, if possible, even more devastating now that Howl had his heart back - which Howl was not going to know, now or ever, if Sophie had anything to say about it.

It didn't matter anyway, as Howl by now would probably be disappointed in her if she didn't bully him into sorting out his bedroom. Even after Fanny and Mrs. Fairfax's concerted efforts, it was completely unfit for human habitation, and while Howl might enjoy sleeping under his dust-grey quilt, Sophie was not prepared to consider the possibility. (Of course, the very idea that sleeping under Howl's dust-grey quilt _was_ a possibility was so new that Sophie tried to avoid thinking about it. Or so she told herself.)

Sophie surprised herself by discovering she'd developed a certain enjoyment for her arguments with Howl. She found that the habits she had picked up as an old woman were lasting, and she was as outspoken as ever. She'd rather feared, for a moment after the spell had broken, that along with her proper self she might get her timidity back, but then Howl had opened his mouth and she'd known better. There was no dealing with him unless one was prepared to give worse than one got.

She did have a certain advantage in that she didn't think there was anything worse she could say to him now that she hadn't already said to him as an old woman. It was a comfort to know that Howl would put up with her no matter how rude she wanted to be. It was less of a comfort to realise that having survived as many of Howl's tantrums and less than noble moments as she had, Howl could claim the same thing.

"Happily ever after," she snorted to herself. "What a strange pair we make." It had not taken very long for Sophie to realise that Howl had proposed marriage to her, after a fashion. It was just like him not to bother to ask her properly - although if he had, all the inevitable posing and artful speeches as he went about it might have been the end of the whole thing then and there. It was probably for the best, and Sophie didn't, it was true, object to the idea of a life with Howl. It was just that a girl ought to hang onto some kind of seemliness at least, and there would have to be wedding before the whole thing went any further.

The entire prospect, in the midst of everything else that had happened that week, made Sophie feel very tired. She foresaw hours of discussion with her sisters and Fanny, and Mrs. Fairfax, of course. None of them would agree on anything, and Howl would immediately overrule anything that the four of them did agree on. Sophie rather disconsolately went to sit by the hearth and talk to Calcifer.

"What do you think of weddings, Calcifer?" she asked, beginning to sketch the outlines of a gown on a piece of parchment.

"I don't know," said Calcifer, peering with interest at the marks Sophie was making with a piece of charcoal. "I've never been to one. What are they like?"

"Noisy, long, and filled with bickering relatives who should know better," said Howl, coming silently up behind Sophie and startling her so much that she almost let Calcifer burn the parchment. "Awful occasions. How would you like to elope, Sophie? The Southing Islands are lovely this time of the year."

Sophie looked up at Howl, and knew that he was just trying to avoid any unpleasantness with Megan and her family. He was impossible, and that was that. On the other hand, Sophie had been looking for a solution to the dilemma the wedding presented only a moment ago herself. It was possible that Fanny would never forgive her, but Sophie felt she'd earned a spot of recklessness in her life. She had, after all, been quite sedate as an old woman, all things considered. "I think that sounds like a marvellous idea. There'll have to be a reception when we get back, of course, or my family will never forgive me."

"Of course," said Howl, attempting to look put upon, but beginning to smile despite himself. "Shall we go tonight?"

"Absolutely not," said Sophie. "You may convince me to run off with you to parts unknown, but I won't do it without a proper dress. I need some kind of propriety!"

Howl did smile then, one of those impossible flashes of which he was so fond. He was obviously very pleased with himself. "Did you really think I'd let you marry me dressed like a scullery maid?" he asked, holding out his hand for her to take. "Come with me." Sophie supposed she should have expected that. She took his hand, and followed him up the stairs to his bedroom.

The door was closed, and Howl paused to let Sophie catch up with him before he opened the door with a peculiar little flourish. Sophie gasped. The room was at least three times as big as it had been, if not larger. The bed had grown along with the room, and the whole area was free of every speck of dust and cobweb. The new blue curtains matched the bedspread and the pillowcases, and the whole room was bright and sunny. Laid out on the bed was the most beautiful dress Sophie had ever seen, and she let go of Howl's hand with a cry and ran over for a closer look. It was made of rich green satin and lace, with deep bell sleeves and elaborate cross ties around the waist.

"Do you like the colour?" Howl asked from just behind her. "I can change it if you'd like, but I thought this would suit you."

"It's beautiful!" exclaimed Sophie, running her hand along the full skirt. "And the room! Where are your spiders?"

"Still afraid to come back after your relatives wrecked havoc on them," said Howl darkly. "I begin to understand where you get your propensity for disaster."

"Cleanliness isn't propensity for disaster," said Sophie, "It's your sloppiness that's the disaster." But her heart wasn't in it. She was too overwhelmed by the room and the dress.

Howl reached down a hand and pulled her to her feet, turning her to face him. He didn't seem to want to let go of her hands. "Tonight, then?" he asked, his green eyes as warm as Sophie had ever seen them.

"Tonight," Sophie agreed. "But Calcifer is to come if wants to. He's never seen a wedding, no matter how small, and it's not fair."

Howl looked tragic. "There is no winning with you, is there, Sophie? No matter what riches and luxuries I shower on you, there is always something else. All right. Calcifer can come if he wants to. I expect he'll find the Islands a little too damp for his liking to stay very long anyway."

Sophie smiled, satisfied. "Tonight, then." She couldn't seem to let go of Howl's hands, either.

 

 


End file.
